CHURCH OF IRELAND NOTES
For Saturday 1st December 2001
From: The
RCB Library
Email: RCB Library
Restoration of Historic Organ
On Friday evening in Durrow parish church, Co. Laois, there will be a
musical evening in support of the organ restoration fund. The Dean of
Cashel, Dr Philip Knowles, will give an organ recital, there will be choral
singing from Maggie Davis and the Cahir Children's Choir and from the Cashel
Cathedral Singers. There will be opportunities also for the congregation to
flex their vocal chords with seasonal hymns and carols and to then wind down
with mulled wine and mince pies. On the face of it, a pleasant if
unremarkable parish gathering, except that the instrument which is the
object of the event is regarded as the most important historic pipe organ in
Ireland.
The organ in St Fintan's Church, Durrow, was built by Samuel Green and is
the only original instrument by Green in this country. The firm of Samuel
Green built organs for St Petersburg, Buckingham Palace Chapel, Canterbury
Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the University Music School in Oxford, and
Windsor Castle. The Durrow organ was originally presented to Trinity
College, Dublin, by King George III in 1797, and Lord Ashbrook employed
William Telford to bring the instrument to Durrow in 1842.
Durrow parish, which is part of a group of parishes based on Abbeyleix
where the rector is Canon Patrick Harvey, has been working with the Heritage
Council to restore the organ to its former glory.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Advent Sunday preacher in the Chapel of
Trinity College, Dublin, will be Dr Michael Jackson, Dean of Cork and
Bishop-Elect of Clogher. In the evening there will be candlelight
processions in Dublin in both Christ Church and St Patrick's cathedrals.
Following the Advent Carol Service in St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick, the
Bishop of Limerick, the Rt Revd Michael Mayes, will launch a new
organization called the Companions of St Mary's Cathedral Music. The
Companions will be dedicated to the promotion and development of liturgical
music in the cathedral. Already they have mounted a permanent exhibition on
the history of music in St Mary's and have raised money to pay for lay
clerks and music scholarships for young choristers.
The Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Rt Revd Ken Clarke, will be
the preacher a a Service of Thanksgiving in Loch Gowna parish church during
which a new parish history, by Niall Sloane, will be launched.
In St Multose' Church, Kinsale, as part of the 400th anniversary
celebrations of the Battle of Kinsale, there will be a recital by Madrigal
75, the Cork based chamber choir, who will perform music for Advent and
Christmas from the time of the battle. This will be followed by
"Kinsale 1601", a suite by Pat Crowley and Desmond O'Grady, which
was commissioned by the Minister of Arts and Culture.
On Wednesday the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, will be in London
where he will address the Central Trustees of the Mothers' Union in Mary
Sumner House.
Thursday is St Nicholas' Day and at Evensong in Trinity College, Dublin,
the Revd Rupert Moreton, formerly curate in the Christ Church Cathedral,
Dublin, group of parishes and now chaplain in Helsinki, will present gifts
to the Chapel. The Chapel Choir visited the Anglican church in Helsinki as
part of its summer Porvoo Communion tour.
The Revd Bruce Pierce, Chaplain of Tallaght Hospital, has begun an
eighteen month sabbatical in Amsterdam and Toronto where he will continue
his studies in hospital chaplaincy. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton
Empey, has appointed the Revd Anne Taylor, curate of Rathfarnham, as a full
time replacement.
Church of Ireland Notes appear in the Irish
Times whose web site may be found at
http://www.ireland.com/ |
